This Black Music Month, Tiny Desk honors the anniversaries of landmark albums that have shaped the course of music and culture.
Bobby Carter | June 23, 2025 Five years ago, Alex Isley gave us a Tiny Desk (home) concert to remember … and ever since, I've wanted to bring her into the office for a proper shoot. To preserve everything in her vocal cords, the L.A. native remained silent until it was time to perform, even pensive as she approached the Desk. Still, her eyes gleamed with enthusiasm for the moment that she and her fans had anticipated for years.
DeShaun Allen, her long-time friend, crafts new arrangements for this performance, honoring the original recordings while adding new flavors to favorites like "About Him" and "Love Again." Supporting vocalists Nelson Beato, Muhsinah and Astyn Terrentine are in lock step, complementing Isley's soft, airy tone to a T, evoking a feeling I haven't felt since witnessing Daniel Caesar's performance back in 2018. One of our favorite Tiny Desk alums, Masego, pops up for his verse on "Good & Plenty" to a roaring crowd. She opens with an outside-the-box upbeat banger, "Mic On," with a wink to her father Ernie Isley of The Isley Brothers, and closes with the powerful "Thank You for a Lovely Time," from her latest EP, WHEN.
SET LIST "Mic On" "Good & Plenty" "La Brea" "Into Orbit" "Love Again" "Mine" "About Him" "Hands" "Thank You for a Lovely Time"
MUSICIANS Alex Isley: vocals DeShaun Allen: drums, music director Jay Rojas: guitar Dré Pinckney: bass Darek Cobbs: keys Nelson Beato: background vocals Astyn Turr: background vocals Muhsinah: background vocals
TINY DESK TEAM Producers: Bobby Carter, Ashley Pointer Director: Kara Frame Audio Technical Director: Josephine Nyounai Video Editor: Joshua Bryant Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Alanté Serene Audio Engineer: Josh Newell Photographer: Michael Zamora Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
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